(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for making a radio listener rating survey and, more particularly, to a portable radio listening status recorder.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Radio listener rating surveys have generally been made on radios placed in subjects homes. In recent years, however, there have been more occasions of listening to radios not only at home but also in a car, in a train, at a coffee shop, at a campsite, and anywhere else. Hence, whether at home or not, and whether the radio to which a person is listening to is his or other person""s radio, the importance of a survey on the radio listening status is rising.
A typical method for surveying the radio listening status is what is called a diary-type method. With this method, a rating company distributes questionnaires through researchers to subjects, asking them to conduct the survey. The subjects write down in the questionnaires by writing materials the names of radio stations to which they listened during the survey period, and the listening start and stop dates and times. After the expiration of the survey period the questionnaires are collected through the researchers to the rating company. The rating company statistically processes the radio listening statuses of the subjects to compute the listener ratings for each radio station.
On the other hand, there have been proposed several technologies for mechanically detecting the listening status on a specific radio. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Gazette No. 327017/95 describes a technology by which of the station to which the car radio is tuned is specified by comparing sounds from the loudspeaker of the car radio and sounds from a beforehand prepared reference radio while tuning the reference radio to channels one after another, the name of the thus specified station being recorded in a memory. Such a technology is useful for conducting a survey on the listening status of a specific radio, but it cannot be applied to the survey on the radio listening status of unspecific radios for which the present invention is intended.
With the current state of the art, the survey on the radio listening status of unspecific radios to which subjects listen to as mentioned above rely on the dairy-type method. However, the existing diary-type survey method has such problems as mentioned below.
First, since the data on the radio listening status of the subjects is written down in questionnaires, all the pieces of data entered in the questionnaires need to be read out therefrom and electronifiedxe2x80x94this consumes much labor in the process of adding up the results of the questionnaire.
Another problem is that when the subject has no watch, he cannot accurately record the listening start and stop dates and times to the minute.
Another problem is that an error in the written radio listening status cannot immediately be corrected unless the user carries an eraser or the like.
Another problem is that even if there is a subject who leaves the questionnaire on a desk at one corner thereof and enters the whole listening status during the survey period in the questionnaire while recalling his memory just before the end of the survey period, the rating company cannot learn such a fact. No problem arises when the recorded listening status is correct, but in many cases, the record relying solely on the subject""s memory is not correct. Such incorrect listening status data by the subject concerned must be excluded from the statistic processing and, if not excluded, its weight is reduced, and some other measures are needed,
Another problem is that alterations in recorded data by a researcher during the collection of questionnaires could not be detected on the part of the rating company.
Still another problem is that in a situation where the subject cannot take a look at the display panel of a radio receiver as in the case where he is listening to a radio in a taxi or at a coffee shop or the like, it is necessary for the subject to determine the radio station from the contents of the program he is listening to and the radio program column of a newspaper or the like, and hence the tuned station cannot be specified immediately and accurately.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which enables the subject to record radio listening status data in electronic form.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which enables the subject to accurately enter the listening start and stop dates and times even if he does not carries a watch with him.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which enables the subject to immediately correct his erroneously entered radio listening status data.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which is equipped with a function of automatically recording data which can be used as a measure for estimating the credibility of recorded radio listening status data.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which enables a rating company to recognize alterations made by a researcher in recorded data.
A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which protects recorded data from alterations by a researcher.
A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a portable radio listening status recorder which enables the subject to specify his tuned station immediately and accurately.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable recorder which is carried by the subject for making a survey on the radio listening status which comprises a display unit, an input unit and a processor, and wherein the processor comprises: a data memory; data entry support means for supporting the subject in his newly entering of radio listening status data containing items of at least the listening start date and time, the name of a tuned station, the place of listening and the listening stop date and time via the input unit; and data recording means for recording in the data memory the radio listening status data containing values of the items entered with the support of the data entry support means and finally determined by the subject.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the recorder further comprises data readout means for reading out the data from the data memory for output to an external terminal.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the data entry support means displays an input value candidate on the display unit on each input of each item and changes the input value candidate to the next candidate in response to instructions from the input unit.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the data entry support means displays the current date and time as an input value candidate at the time of entering the listening start date and time and then sequentially changes the current date and time to the next candidate in response to instructions from the input unit and, at the time of entering the name of the tuned station, displays as an input value candidate the same tuned station name as contained in immediately previously recorded radio listening status data and then sequentially changes the tuned station to those contained in a list of preselected stations in response to instructions from the input unit.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the data entry support means displays the current date and time as an input value candidate at the times of entering the listening start date and time and the listening stop date and time then sequentially changes said current date and time to the next candidate in response to instructions from the input unit and, at the times of entering the name of the tuned station and the place of listening, displays as input value candidates the same tuned station name and place of listening as contained in immediately previously recorded radio listening status data and then sequentially changes the tuned station and the place of listening to those contained in lists of preselected stations and places of listening in response to instructions from the input unit.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the processor further comprises data correction support means for supporting the subject in his correcting of the radio listening status data recorded in the data memory, and the data correction support means displays, as an input value, a value of a radio listening status data item to be corrected on the display unit in response to instructions from the input unit and then sequentially changes the input value in response to instructions from the input unit, updating the old input value with an input value finally determined by the subject.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the recorder further comprises a vibration sensor connected to the processor, and the processor further comprises: vibration count accumulate means for accumulating, at predetermined time intervals at least from the radio listening status survey start time to the stop time, the numbers of vibrations detected by the vibration sensor during the respective time intervals; and vibration status recording means for recording in the data memory an accumulated value of vibration counts obtained by the vibration count accumulate means for each predetermined period of time.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the processor further comprises marking means for appending a special mark to radio listening status data recorded by the data recording means in the data memory after the radio listening status survey top time.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the processor further comprises inhibit means for inhibiting recording of new radio listening status data in the data memory after the radio listening status survey stop time.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the processor further comprises marking means for appending a special mark to that radio listening status data stored in the data memory which was corrected by the data correction support means after the radio listening status survey stop time.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the processor further comprises inhibit means for inhibiting the correction of radio listening status data by the data correction support means after the radio listening status survey stop time.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the recorder further comprises a radio receiver and the processor further comprises radio control means for controlling the radio receiver to select the radio station of the name displayed on the display unit.
The portable radio listening status recorder according to the present invention is distributed via a researcher to each subject from a rating company. The subject carries the recorder with him during a predetermined period of survey and enters data as required. That is, when starting to listen to a radio program at his home, in a car, or outdoors, the subject enters, by manipulating the input unit, the listening start date and time, the name of the station to which he is listening, and the place of listening and, when stopping to listen to the radio program, enters the listening stop date and time by manipulating the input unit.
With the recorder according to the first aspect of the invention, the data entry support means supports the subject in his entering of the radio listening status data, and the data recording means records the entered data in the data memory. By this, the radio listening status data is electronically recorded on the part of the subject.
With the recorder according to the second aspect of the invention, the radio listening status data electronically recorded in the data memory is read out therefrom by the data readout means and provided to the external terminal. By reading out stored contents of the data memory after collecting the recorders, the rating company is enabled to immediately process their recorded data by a computerxe2x80x94this significantly saves the labor involved in adding up the processed results.
With the recorder according to the third aspect of the invention, the data entry support means displays an input value candidate on the display unit on each input of each of the items on the listening start and stop date and time, the name of the tuned station, the place of listening and the listening stop date and time, and then changes the input value to the succeeding candidates one after another in response to instructions from the input unit. Accordingly, if the input value candidate displayed first is the desired value, the subject needs only to determine it through the input unit, and if not, the subject changes the input value to the succeeding candidates in a sequential order and, when the desired input value is displayed, determines it through the input unit.
With the recorder according to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the current date and time are displayed as an input value candidate at the time of entering the listening start date and time, it is possible to accurately enter the listening start date and time. Furthermore, since the displayed current date and time can be changed in response to instructions from the input unit, the listening start date and time, even if left unrecorded, can be recorded afterward by turning back the displayed date and time. And, at the time of entering the name of the tuned station, the name of the same tuned station as that contained in the immediately recorded radio listening status data is displayed as a candidate for the input valuexe2x80x94this simplifies the data entry when the same station is tuned at some time intervals.
With the recorder according to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the current date and time are displayed as an input value candidate at the time of entering the listening stop date and time, it is possible to accurately enter the listening stop date and time. Furthermore, since the displayed current date and time can be changed in response to instructions from the input unit, the listening stop date and time, even if left unrecorded, can be recorded afterward by turning back the displayed date and time. And, at the time of entering the place of listening, the name of the same place as that contained in the immediately recorded radio listening status data is displayed as a candidate for the input valuexe2x80x94this simplifies the data entry when the same station is tuned at some time intervals.
With the recorder according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the data correction support means permits immediate correction of erroneously entered radio listening status data.
The recorder according to the seventh aspect of the invention is provided with the vibration sensor, the vibration count accumulate means and the vibration status recording means. If the subject does not carry the recorder with him and leaves it on a desk to the moment just before the expiration of the survey period, no vibration occurs in the recorder, and consequently, the vibration count for each predetermined time recorded in the data memory becomes substantially zero during that period. However, when the radio listening status date of every day during the survey period is recorded in the recorded data, it can be assumed that the subject entered the entire data just before the end of the survey period. That is, the accumulated value of the vibration counts detected at predetermined time intervals can be used as a measure for estimating the credibility of the radio listening status data recorded in the recorder. Incidentally, the time for accumulating the vibration counts can be set to be 24 hours, for instance, but it may also be made shorter.
With the recorder according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, if the researcher newly enters additional radio listening status data after collecting the recorder, the data is appended with a mark, thereby enabling the rating company to recognize the additional entry of data.
With the recorder according to the ninth aspect of the invention, since new radio listening status data cannot be registered after the survey stop time, it is possible to prevent the researcher from additionally entering new radio listening status data.
With the recorder according to the tenth aspect of the invention, if the researcher makes alterations in the subject""s recorded radio listening status data after collecting the recorder from the subject, the altered data is appended with a mark, making it possible for the rating company to find the fact of alteration.
With the recorder according to the eleventh aspect of the invention, since the radio listening status data cannot be changed after the survey stop time, the radio listening status data can be protected from alterations by the researcher.
With the recorder according to the twelfth aspect of the invention, when the subject cannot specify which station he is listening to at the time of entering the name of the station, the radio receiver is tuned to the station whose name is currently displayed when the data entry support means displays a candidate for the name of the station and sequentially changes the name of station in response to instructions from the input unit. Hence, by comparing sounds of the radio program received by the radio receiver of the recorder and the sounds of the radio program to which the subject is listening, he can specify the station immediately and accuratelyxe2x80x94this increases the reliability of the data on the name of the station to which the subject is listening.